


Maya and Sorcha

by ZoisiteMoon



Series: Eyes on Me [6]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aromantic Asexual White Diamond, Cancer, Family Relationship Switcheroo, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Irish-American nanny, Premature Birth, Premature Labor, Slice of Life, Stillbirth, Teen Pregnancy, a girl and her nanny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoisiteMoon/pseuds/ZoisiteMoon
Summary: Maya Diamond and her Irish-American nanny Sorcha McKenna have one of the strongest friendships in the world, especially during times that prove stressful for the former.
Series: Eyes on Me [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1451692
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the writing comes off as a bit stilted. I've had a bit of a hard time putting this story together.
> 
> This actually started off as me wondering where Maya could've gotten her accent from in-universe. Then it just evolved on its own, with Sorcha getting kind of her own backstory.
> 
> Anyway:
> 
> Yellow Diamond= Golda "Goldie" Diamond  
> Blue Diamond= Maya Diamond  
> White Diamond= Whitney Diamond

The year was 1969. The Vietnam War was still going strong, Woodstock was one of the biggest music festivals going on in America, and Whitney Diamond had only had two children at this point: her fraternal twins Golda and Maya. Soon, however, she would have three children. She’d recently gotten herself pregnant after being implanted with a donor’s egg that’d been fertilized with an anonymous donor’s sperm. As soon as Whitney had the pregnancy confirmed for her, she set out straight away in getting a couple nannies for her twins.

The first nanny was a woman named Sorcha McKenna. She was a somewhat middle-aged Irish-American woman, only being in her early forties, with fiery red hair and gunpowder blue eyes. She also had somewhat fair skin with a freckle here and there. She never married for reasons unknown to her employer or the twins. She never had children, either, but she did have a special relationship with her first cousin Roisin. It was because of her relationship with Roisin that she was assigned Maya.

The second nanny was a woman named Georgia Cusack. Like Sorcha, she was also fair-skinned except without freckles. She was just a regular American woman like her boss. She was in her mid-twenties, had dirty blonde hair, and had dark brown eyes. Unlike Sorcha, she was married and had a couple children at home. It was because Georgia had children of her own that she was assigned Golda.

When Sorcha and Georgia first arrived at Whitney’s home in New York City, they had not anticipated that they would be working as nannies for a music producer. They also hadn’t anticipated that their employer would be wearing hearing aids due to hearing loss brought on by her Tietz Syndrome.

“Hello, ladies,” were the first words to come out of Whitney’s mouth when she met her candidates.

“Um... hello,” Georgia said uncertainly. “Are you... Whitney Diamond?”

Whitney just smiled. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

Sorcha’s eyes widened a bit upon hearing it. “You mean... that Whitney Diamond? The one who runs Diamond Bright Records?”

Whitney still smiled. “The very same.”

Georgia just chuckled nervously. “Wow... I’m working for the owner of a record company. Unbelievable.”

Whitney’s expression had now changed to a smirk. “You can pinch yourself if you want. Check if you’re dreaming?”

Georgia shook her head. “No, I’m good. What I can see is enough proof for me.”

“Good.” Whitney gestured the two ladies into the house. “Follow me. I’ll show you the children and how to look after them.”

“Will it involve...?”

“Yes, you’ll have to help change diapers.”

* * *

After Sorcha and her co-worker got to know the children they’d help care for, they couldn’t help but wonder whether it would be worth it to work for someone as famous as Whitney. This woman managed to make a fortune on music without a partner. This woman managed to have children without a partner. This woman managed to accomplish everything she could’ve ever wanted without a partner. It was almost certainly mindblowing to Sorcha and Georgia that their boss was an independent woman, especially when the 1960s were on their way out and feminism was going through a major cultural revolution.

Sorcha’s relationship with Maya was also shaping up to be something special. As she spent more time with her young friend, Sorcha’s views on marriage and children began to change. Likewise, Maya started developing an Irish accent while she bonded with her nanny.

One day in 1970, when Whitney was full-term pregnant with her third child, Sorcha and Maya decided to go out and have some fun at Coney Island. Sorcha had picked Coney Island in particular because she thought this would be the place Roisin would have enjoyed. After asking for some directions on how to get to this place and hitching a few rides from strangers, Sorcha and Maya finally arrived at their destination.

“Your mum probably won’t mind if I take you out, right?” Sorcha couldn’t help but ask her young friend.

“Probably,” Maya just replied.

“You deserve to have some fun before your brother or sister gets here. Have you ever been to Coney Island before?”

Maya shook her head.

Sorcha frowned a bit. “That’s too bad. It’s actually a real fun place to go. Hey, look! There’s the Wonder Wheel!”

Maya’s faced perked up upon seeing the giant Ferris wheel that was located in Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. This famous Ferris wheel held 144 riders, stood 150 ft (46 m) tall, and weighed over 200 short tons. It was, in fact, one of the first rides Sorcha went on the first time she came to Coney Island. She was determined to make it Maya's first ride as well.

"Do you want to go on a ride, Maya?" Sorcha asked sweetly.

Maya quietly nodded her head.

Sorcha's smile perked up. "Alright, then. Let's go!"

So off they went to the Wonder Wheel. They could only gaze in awe at the world below while their feet hung out of the seat. The observation from above managed to trigger some happy memories for Sorcha and how it was when she still lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She remembered the good ol' days when she and Roisin would roam their home county and make friends with the townies, even the ones who were constantly drunk. In some respects, Maya reminded her of Roisin and how much they reserved themselves from the world.

After riding in the Wonder Wheel, Maya and Sorcha moved on to some more rides, namely the B&B Carousell and the Coney Island Cyclone. Once they were through riding as many rides as they could, they finally decided to head home. They asked for a taxi, rode on home, and then were somewhat surprised to find only Georgia and Goldie waiting for them there.

“Georgia?” Sorcha asked.

“Yes?” Georgia asked back.

“Where’s Ms. Diamond?”

“Oh... uh, Ms. Diamond already left for the hospital.”

“What for?”

“She’s in labor.”

Sorcha couldn’t help but gasp. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten that Whitney would probably go into labor today.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorcha’s mind kept racing as she and Georgia snatched up the Diamond twins and made their way for the hospital. They didn’t know what could happen to Whitney or the baby, but they wanted to be there for her no matter what happened. This woman, after all, was the one providing them paychecks to support their finances. They needed her to help them get through their lives.

At the hospital, the two nannies sat in the waiting room with the twin girls in their arms. All four of them had to wait for what seemed like forever before they could hear anything back from a doctor. During that time, the nannies played some games with the young girls like “I Spy” and pointing out things that shared a color with another. Finally, a doctor came in and spoke to the nannies.

“Everything went great,” the doctor informed the two ladies. “Your boss and her baby are resting easy now.”

Sorcha breathed a sigh of relief. She then asked the doctor, “So when can we see Ms. Diamond?”

The doctor just gave a little smile. “You can see her in a little bit. She and her son are sleeping right now. She’s had quite the day.”

“Understatement of the week,” Georgia muttered under her breath.

Sorcha’s ears perked up a bit. “Did you say ‘her son?’”

The doctor just kept that smile on the whole time. “Yes, it’s a boy.”

Maya and her twin sister could not help but look utterly disappointed at this news. Meanwhile, Sorcha and her co-worker were just laughing at the twins’ reactions. The women were basically living for these children now. These children inspired joy in pretty much everything they did, even if they were being naughty or even if they didn’t like what was happening.

* * *

When Goldie and Maya first laid eyes on their new brother, they weren’t sure what to make of him. He looked so... wrinkly and grumpy. He looked like nothing they’d ever seen before. He screamed as loudly as his little lungs would let him. The girls also couldn’t help but notice how tiny he was.

“Wow...” Maya murmured.

“So what do you think of your new brother, girls?” Whitney asked the twins.

“He’s weird,” Maya replied.

“Yeah,” Goldie piped in. “He looks so... ugly!”

As if in response to that, the child let out a particularly ear-piercing shriek.

“Goldie,” Georgia scolded. “That’s a rude thing to say about your new brother!”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?” Goldie asked.

“I mean, it is, but you’re not supposed to actually say it.”

Whitney just chuckled, too tired to care about what Goldie had actually just said. She slipped her finger in the baby’s hand and bounced him gently, cooing at him while he began to simmer down.

“So... do you know what to name him yet?” Sorcha asked her boss.

"Huh?”

“Oh, c’mon. You didn't forget, did you? Don't tell me you forgot, ma’am."

“What, me? Oh… no, I guess I never did find something to call him. Nothing really stuck for me."

Despite Whitney’s best efforts to come up with a name for her son, nothing had truly seemed fitting. And now with her child right here, nothing seemed deep enough for the moment.

It was then that an idea dawned upon Georgia. “What about John? Seems like a simple enough name, right?”

Whitney just pursed her lips and groaned. “Guess that’ll have to do.”

“Good. I’m glad I could help.”

John just let out another throaty scream, which was loud enough that the nannies were surprised the glass even stayed intact.

"Looks like you’ll be needing some more ear plugs for that one,” Georgia said. “Trust me, my son cried for two years straight after he was born. My husband and I bought some ear plugs before we had him, and it saved our marriage."

Whitney chuckled uneasily. “Good to know.”

* * *

Two days later, Whitney and her son had come home from the hospital. The twins were relieved to have their mom back after the nannies took care of them. They didn’t want to go another day without their mom there. Whitney spent some time recuperating from giving birth while the nannies decided to keep the twins company. However, the twins wanted to be with their mom right this second.

“C’mon, children,” Sorcha said. “Why don’t you let your mother rest up, huh?”

“Why?” Maya asked curiously.

“Well, she’s had a long couple days. She just had your brother, after all.”

“What about us?”

“What about you?”

Now it was Goldie’s turn to speak up. “She’s spending too much time with John. She should be playing with us!”

Georgia just shook her head. “Now, now, girls. That’s a little ridiculous, don’t you think? She loves all three of you equally. It’s just that John needs her more than you do, that’s all.”

“It’s still not fair...” Goldie grumbled.

Sorcha chuckled now. “Girls, please, it’s not like your mum’s going to spend all of her time with John. As Georgia said, your mum loves you three equally. Just because she’s spending all her time with John right now doesn’t mean she’s forgotten about you. Besides, you can always help out if ever you feel like it.”

Now the twins’ faces were lighting up a bit. Suddenly, they didn’t seem so resentful of their brother’s existence anymore. At least with the nannies to help keep them company, they could rest easy and be assured that someone was paying attention to them.


	3. Chapter 3

Many years passed since John's birth. In just the blink of an eye, Whitney's three children were teenagers, with the twins being 19 and their younger brother being 16. Before long, however, Whitney would go from having three to four children. She'd recently gotten herself inseminated. Just like last time, she'd used egg and sperm donors to have her fourth and final child. Around the same time, however, John had knocked up his fifteen-year-old girlfriend Yoko with twins. Much to Whitney's annoyance, both she and Yoko were due to have their respective babies on the same day: September 8th.

Maya wasn't sure how she could handle simultaneously getting a younger sister and becoming an aunt to two little girls. She was almost certain that Goldie felt the same way. Thankfully, Maya had kept in touch with Sorcha years after the latter resigned work as her nanny. Even after all that time, Maya knew that she could trust one of the oldest friends her family had. Maya always felt like she could rely on Sorcha to get her through even some of the most difficult times when she couldn’t rely on anyone else. Some days, that couldn’t have been more apparent...

One day, on June 5th, 1986, Maya got a call from Goldie that their mother had gone into premature labor. Maya was in shock and had no idea how to respond to that kind of news. Whitney was only six months pregnant, three months too early for their sister to be born. The twin sisters talked for close to an hour, expressing to the best of their abilities how much this was affecting them. After Maya and Goldie had stopped talking, they headed out for the hospital, eager to be by their mother's side. When they arrived at the hospital, they signed in as visitors for their mother and then made their way towards the waiting room. As it just so happened, their brother and his girlfriend were there, having already beaten them to it by about thirty minutes. Coincidentially enough, Sorcha was also there in the waiting room, but as a patient waiting for her doctor.

"Hello, John," Goldie said coldly. "What brings you and your skanky girlfriend here?"

"We're here because Whitney is in labor," Yoko answered for her boyfriend.

"I wasn't asking you."

Yoko just narrowed her eyes at her future sister-in-law. "I know."

"Guys, can we stop fighting for a second?" John suddenly asked. "Mom's more important right now. For God's sake, I don't even know if she's going to make it or if our sister's going to make it or whatever. Just knock it off."

"He's right," Maya agreed. "I'm really scared about what might happen. I don't know if I even want to think about it. So much could go wrong: our mother could die, our sister could die, they could both die..." She had to restrain herself from crying. "I just don't want to lose them..."

“Me neither, Maya,” Goldie said. “I don't think we could bear to lose either of them.”

“I don’t think I could bear it, either,” Sorcha suddenly spoke up. “Still, I’m fairly certain they’ll be alright.”

“Are you sure about that?” Maya asked her former nanny.

Sorcha nodded. “I’m positive.”

Hours upon hours went by while the Diamond siblings and their loved ones waited for any signs of progress. They really wanted their mother and their sister to pull through. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, a nurse finally came out and walked over to them.

“Are you the Diamonds?” the nurse asked the three siblings.

Goldie urgently stood up out of her seat. “Yes. So what happened? Are they alright?”

“Well, your mother is,” the nurse replied. “But your sister...”

“What about her?” Maya asked worriedly.

“Your sister is in the NICU. I can’t be certain how much longer she has, especially when she was born so early...”

“What are you saying? That you think she might die?”

“That, I don’t know. Like I said, I have no idea how long she’ll live for after she was born so early.”

“Surely, there’s hope, isn’t there?”

The nurse was trying her best not to tear up in front of the anxious family members and friends. “I’d love to believe that there’s hope for your sister, but who knows?”

Goldie tried to keep her composure together. "Do you know when we might see our mom?"

The nurse nodded at her. “We might let you see her tomorrow. For now, we’re going to let her rest up. She just had major surgery.”

“Okay, thank you.” Goldie waited until the nurse left before throwing herself back down into her seat. “Goddamn it! Why did Mom have to give birth now?”

“I... I wish I knew,” Maya replied uncertainly. “I don’t even understand what could’ve happened.”

“Me neither, Maya. Me neither. Still, at least they’re okay. I can’t imagine how Mom must feel, though.”

Maya just looked down at the ground, forlorn. “I don’t think I could imagine how scared Mom is right now. I mean, going into labor this early and then not even knowing if our sister is going to make it? I don’t think I could ever handle going through something like that.”

“Ditto.”

As sad as they were that it’d happened to their mother, deep down, they were glad that it hadn’t happened to them. In fact, this was the event that led to Maya’s decision to never have kids. Goldie, on the other hand, had already decided that motherhood wasn’t for her, but hearing about what had happened to her mother cemented that decision for her. Still, showing their emotional support for their mother took top priority over everything else.

* * *

The next day, Goldie, Maya, John, and Yoko all paid Whitney a visit at the hospital while she was recovering from her emergency Cesarean section. They were to curious to find out how the Diamond matriarch was handling her new reality. They were pleasantly surprised when they saw that Whitney had only now started waking up.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Maya said with a smile. “You gave us a terrible scare yesterday.”

“Oh, hello, starlight,” Whitney just mumbled.

“Mom, how are you feeling?” Goldie asked gingerly.

“Fine, fine,” Whitney mumbled again. “Couldn’t have been better, actually.”

“Are you sure? What about our sister? Aren’t you worried about her?”

Whitney just slowly nodded her head. “I still can’t believe I just had her. I wasn’t supposed to give birth for another three months.”

“We know, Mom. We know. Do you feel like visiting her at the NICU today?”

“Not right now, sweetie. I’ve been so tired... I can’t stop thinking about what happened. I barely even slept last night.”

"I can't say I really blame you," Yoko chimed in, trying to empathize with her future mother-in-law. "I'd be scared if something happened to one of my babies."

Whitney just ignored her and started trying to go back to sleep.

"So... I guess we'll come back later, then?" Yoko asked, again with no response. "Okay..."

With that, the foursome headed off to the cafeteria to eat. It was there that Maya spotted Sorcha eating alone at a nearby table. She didn’t notice at first, but she soon realized that her former nanny was looking a little pale and sick. Maya proceeded to carry her tray over to the table where Sorcha was eating and sit down next to her.

“Oh, hi, Maya,” Sorcha just said. “I didn’t realize you and your family were here. How are you?”

“Not good,” Maya replied. “I’m worried about what might happen to my sister. Mom’s fine for the most part, but she hasn’t been too lucid since the surgery. What about you?”

“I’m alright...” Sorcha’s thoughts trailed off for a second. “Actually, I’m not. The reason I came here yesterday was for a doctor’s appointment. I haven’t felt like myself lately. I thought it was just the flu at first, but I’m starting to think that it might be something else.”

Now Maya was curious. “What do you think it is?”

Sorcha looked around as if to make sure no one else could hear her. “The C-word...”

“Cancer?”

Sorcha sadly nodded her head. “The very same. I’ll be checking myself in in a few days to get it looked at. I’m hoping for my sake that it’s just a health scare.”

“I hope so, too. I’ve already gone through enough sadness as is.”

“No worries, Maya. I don’t plan to leave for a long, long time.”

“Good, because I don’t want you to leave.” Maya wrapped her arms around her former nanny. “The last thing I want is for my second mother to die on me. I’m also fairly certain that the world will be much sadder without you in it.”

Sorcha smiled softly at this. “Thank you, Maya. You’re a sweet girl.”


	4. Chapter 4

Maya and Sorcha’s worst fears were confirmed when the latter visited her doctor. Sorcha did indeed have cancer. Fortunately, there was still enough time to treat it with chemotherapy. Surgery was reserved as a last resort. Maya had hope that Sorcha would beat the cancer and go back to being her usual self before long. It was because of that flame of hope that Maya made an effort to accompany Sorcha to her chemotherapy treatments right before visiting her sister (now named Petunia) in the NICU. 

At first, things seemed like they would work out for the best. Sorcha had been reacting well to the treatments and was starting to get a little better day by day. Then everything changed when Sorcha found out that not only had the cancer somehow gotten worse, but it had spread throughout her body. Maya was devastated when Sorcha gave her the bad news. She wasn't sure how she could handle the possibility that her former nanny would be dead within the next several months. She wanted to help in any way she could, but she wasn't sure what else she could do to relieve the aches and pains Sorcha was experiencing. It ended up becoming so bad that Sorcha was moved to hospice to live out the rest of her life as painlessly as possible.

Maya would visit her former nanny in hospice every day, ready to help her with whatever she needed. One day, Maya was visiting Sorcha and tending to the usual things Sorcha wanted when the latter asked her something.

"Can you write a letter for me, Maya?" Sorcha asked weakly.

"What for?" Maya asked curiously.

"There's something Roisin needs to know before I die..."

"What is it?"

Sorcha's eyes wandered down on the ground and then back up to Maya's level before she spoke again. "Well... I haven't been entirely truthful with you or your family. See... Roisin isn't actually my cousin. She's my daughter."

Maya looked at her, puzzled. "Your daughter?"

"Yes, my daughter. I had her when I was only 14. It was about two years before the war ended. I lost my virginity to a farm boy whose father was killed in action... and he got me pregnant. My aunt and uncle had been raising me since I was a baby, and they'd recently gone through a stillbirth at the time. So when Roisin was born, they decided to raise her as my cousin and the rest is history."

"And she has no idea whatsoever?"

"None. She's forty-three years old. It's time she learned the truth."

Maya didn't question her former nanny's wishes and went to work on writing a letter to Roisin about the secret that would change everything. When she was done, Sorcha informed the nineteen-year-old girl that Roisin was living in Dublin, Ireland, and that she should give the letter to her in person. Knowing fully well that there was a chance that Sorcha could be dead within the next couple months, Maya got on a plane to Dublin to find Roisin.

* * *

When she first arrived in Dublin, Maya didn’t imagine that many of the native Dubliners would give her funny looks, especially if they heard her speaking with a fluent Irish accent. Thankfully, most of them were friendly and didn’t treat her any differently from other American visitors. It made finding Roisin a lot easier, that much was certain.

Maya had the letter tucked away in her purse, far enough that she could retrieve it with little difficulty. She held her purse as tightly as she could to her person. She wanted to make absolute sure that the letter didn’t fall into the wrong hands and that the letter would reach its destination safe and sound. However, she wasn't sure how Roisin would take the news. Considering how long Roisin had gone without knowing who her cousin actually was, maybe she wouldn't take it very well. Maybe she wouldn't care. Or maybe she'd be pleasantly surprised by the revelation. Maya didn't know enough about Roisin to get a clear idea of who she was as a person. She regretted not asking Sorcha about Roisin as a person before coming here.

Maya went around, asking for a Roisin McKenna. Some of the people she asked didn't know who that was, but Maya eventually managed to find someone who did know. It was a man by the name of Brian Murray, and he was actually Roisin's husband. Maya was a bit shocked to find out that Roisin was married, and it was to a man who appeared to be around her age no less.

"So why are you looking for her?" Brian asked when he'd confirmed his identity.

"Well..." Maya began. "It's a long story, but her cousin is dying. I want to make sure that Roisin can see Sorcha one more time before she dies."

"Ah..." Brian just studied her like she was a historical statue. "I see."

Maya didn't want to reveal the life-changing secret just yet. She wanted to wait until she'd met Roisin in person to reveal everything.

“Why don’t I bring you home and introduce you to Roisin?” Brian suggested. “Sound like a good idea?”

Maya wasn’t quite sure what to say to that, but then, what other choice did she have? “Of course,” she answered. “I don’t see why not.”

Brian just smiled. “Oh, good. I’m glad you agree.”

So she decided that she would follow Brian back to the house he shared with Roisin on 21 The Poplars, Monkstown Valley, Monkstown. She was at least somewhat curious to see what their home life was like.

* * *

When Maya went inside Roisin and Brian’s home, she was a little surprised at what she saw. Scampering about the house were three children who all appeared to be school-aged. In Roisin’s arms, she was holding a baby who happily sucked away at her exposed breast. Maya just smiled at her host.

"Hello, Roisin," Maya just said.

Roisin was a little startled. "How do you know my name? And what are you doing here?"

“Oh, uh, funny story.” Maya just chuckled nervously. “I know your cousin Sorcha. She told me so much about you... you know, about how you were as a child. Your cousin worked for my mother as a nanny when my twin sister and I were little.”

Roisin raised an eyebrow. “My cousin, huh? Oh yes, she always was deeply caring towards all people... especially children. So what brings you here?”

Maya took a deep breath. “Sorcha is dying of cancer.”

Roisin just gasped. “Cancer? Oh no... how bad is it?”

“It’s terminal. She had to be moved to hospice because it spread throughout her body.” Maya placed the unopened letter onto the kitchen island. “The staff working there says she doesn’t have long. Sorcha wants you to see her one more time before she dies. Also, she asked me to write you a letter about something.”

“Okay...”

Roisin picked up the unopened letter with her free hand and went off to the home office to read it.


	5. Chapter 5

“Oh... oh my God...” Roisin kept muttering while she was leaving the home office. “I... I can’t believe it.”

“Are you okay?” Maya asked gently.

Roisin furrowed her brows and glared at her guest. “What do you think? Everything I thought I knew about my family is a lie, a big fat lie.”

“Anything I can do for you right now?”

“I’d appreciate it if you got the hell away from me. I need time to process this.”

“I understand. Take as much time as you need.”

Maya took a few steps back away from her host to give her space. While taking those steps back, she happened to bump into Roisin’s husband.

“What’s going on?” Brian asked, now concerned. “I could hear Roisin screaming and crying all the way from the bedroom.”

“Well...” Maya’s train of thought wandered off for a bit in order to figure out the best way to explain the situation. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, but um... your wife’s cousin isn’t actually her cousin. She’s actually her mother.”

“W-What?” Brian was trying his hardest to process what he just heard. “Sorcha is actually my mother-in-law?”

“That’s right. That’s what Sorcha wanted me to tell her before she died. Please, you and Roisin and the children need to be there for her before she goes.”

Brian still couldn’t believe it. “Oh my God... how much longer does Sorcha have?”

“That, I don’t know. Could be two days, two weeks, two months... however long she has, it’s borrowed time all the same.”

“So... when can we go to see her?”

“Preferably tomorrow. Though maybe we can wait a couple days before seeing her. What do you think?”

Brian had to think long and hard about what he wanted to do in this situation. It took him a while before he reached a conclusion. “I would like to see her as soon as possible... in other words, tomorrow.”

Maya gave him a sad smile. “Alright. Tomorrow, we will all be flying to New York. I don’t know if this will be the last time we see her, but we have to make it count nonetheless.”

“You are absolutely right, Maya. We do need to make it count.”

* * *

As quickly as they’d left Dublin for New York, they soon found themselves in the hospice where Sorcha was living out her final days. The Irish-American woman had refused to let anyone close to her see her as she was, so Maya, Roisin, and Roisin’s family just sat on the other side of the curtain. The sunlight was powerful enough to illuminate the silhouettes of Sorcha’s bed and the nurse tending to her.

“Roisin?” Sorcha weakly called out to her daughter.

“Yes, Sorcha?” Roisin asked. “What is it you need?”

“Just... just stay with me. That’s all I want.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to see your new granddaughter Meaghan?”

“No... I don’t want her or the other children to remember me like this. They shouldn’t have to see anyone like this...”

“Alright... if that’s what you want, so be it.” Roisin just reached out through the curtain and gently touched her mother’s hand. She genuinely couldn’t believe how bony and thin it felt, especially when the skin itself felt dry and leathery like alligator scales. “Don’t worry, Sorcha... um, Mum, whatever you want me to call you. The family and I are going to stay right here.”

While this was going on, Maya was outside purchasing a snack from the vending machine. She needed to do something to take her mind off what was happening to Sorcha. It was the beginning of September now, but boy had it been a rough year. Her mother gave birth prematurely, her younger sister nearly died while in the NICU (but miraculously survived, thankfully), and now the woman who practically raised her was dying. Maya hoped for her own sake that the rest of the year would be better. After all, as indifferent as she was about Yoko, the latter was supposed to welcome two little girls with John in five days. Surely, nothing could go wrong there, right? She certainly hoped so anyway. She made her way back to Sorcha's room to try to distract from everything that happened, but to her surprise, a nurse was already cleaning up the body and preparing it for transport. 

Roisin, her husband, and the children just stood there and silently cried, their eyes puffy and glazed over and red.

Maya was confused, but it took only a moment for her to realize what had happened. "Oh no... Sorcha..." She turned to look at Roisin in the eye. "When did this happen?"

"Her death, you mean?" Roisin asked back. "She passed on while you were getting your snack."

"But how? How did she die just now?"

"She just did. She suddenly stopped breathing, and that was it. It was over."

"I can vouch for that," the nurse interjected. "Do you want to see her, Miss Diamond?"

Every fiber of her being wanted to say yes, throw back the curtain, throw herself over the nanny who helped to raise her for nearly nineteen years, and sob her heart out... but she didn't. Instead, she declined, not wanting to bring upon herself even more sadness than what she already went through.

* * *

Maya couldn’t believe it. Her nanny was actually gone. Sorcha McKenna was gone, and she died from a disease that no human being should ever have to go through. It was too much for her to take in. She needed to see her mother, and she needed to do it right now.

When she made it to her mother’s house, she was a bit confused to see Whitney not greet her jovially like usual. Her expression was just blank. Maya honestly couldn’t tell what was going through her mother’s mind at that moment, but it couldn’t have been good.

“Mom?” Maya asked out of concern. “Mom? Is everything alright?”

Whitney didn’t say anything at first.

“Mom?” Maya asked again. “What’s wrong? It doesn’t have to do with Petunia, does it?”

“No, of course not, starlight,” Whitney replied. “Petunia’s been doing great since she came home from the NICU.”

Maya breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s good. So why didn’t you greet me like you usually do?”

Whitney took a deep breath. “Starlight, I don’t know if there’s any other way for me to say this... but John and Yoko were at their appointment today, and during the sonogram, the doctor could only hear one of the babies’ heartbeats.”

Maya couldn’t understand what was being explained to her. “So... what does that mean?”

“It means one of the babies died.” Whitney sighed heavily and held both of Maya’s hands into her own. “I know how hard this must be for you to hear this, especially after what happened to Sorcha.”

“How did you know---?”

“Georgia told me, starlight. Sorcha was so good to you. She didn't deserve it. For shame.”

Maya gave a sad smile. “At least Sorcha died with her family by her side.”

“I’m sure she did.”


	6. Chapter 6

Five days passed. Yoko had been induced for a C-section, and the twins were delivered. The twin who was born alive was named Sapphire after September's birthstone. The twin who was born dead was named Cynthia after Whitney's adopted sister. Maya wasn't quite sure how exactly John and Yoko reacted when they saw their twins being born in front of them, but she figured it was somewhat along the lines of bittersweet. She was especially confused when John and Yoko asked her, the rest of the Diamond family, and Yoko's family to come and meet the twins.

"Really?" Maya remembered asking in a perplexed manner. "Are you sure about that? You'd rather not be alone?"

"Absolutely," Yoko replied tiredly. "John and I talked about it and made arrangements for Cynthia."

"Oh... okay. I guess if that's what you want, then we can't stop you. While we're at it, can I bring Sorcha's family members here?"

"Um, I don't see why not."

"Great. What's the address for the hospital and what room are you guys in?"

* * *

Goldie, Maya, Whitney, and little Petunia were the first ones to show up. Yoko’s parents and siblings were still too upset from hearing the news, so they declined to show up at all. That didn’t matter, though. Maya had also invited Roisin and her family to be there, both for emotional support and to introduce them to the rest of the Diamonds. When the Murrays showed up, plenty of hugs and greetings were exchanged.

“Nancy,” Roisin called out to her oldest daughter. “Why don’t you meet the babies?”

“Okay, coming, Mum,” Nancy called back to her.

Nancy ran over to the cribs as quickly as she could, and she managed to get a quick glimpse at the twins. Almost immediately, she noticed that one of them was not moving.

“Hey, Mum,” Nancy spoke to her mother.

“Yes, sweetheart?” Roisin asked.

Nancy pointed to the dead baby. “Which baby is that?”

“That’s Cynthia.”

“Why isn’t she movin’?”

The teenagers and grown-ups in the room were fumbling to come up with an explanation. 

John took Nancy aside to explain what the deal was. "Well... Cynthia was born sleeping."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Basically... she'll never wake up."

"That's awful. What about Sapphire?"

"She's alive and well. It's, uh..." John found him unable to speak and he excused himself to be with Yoko.

Maya beckoned Nancy to come over to her and talk to her. Nancy walked over to where Maya was sitting and sat down next to her.

“What’s wrong, Maya?” Nancy asked out of concern. “You seem awfully sad.”

Maya nearly choked up at Nancy’s observation. “That’s because I am sad. I’m sad that all this happened to me and my family, I’m sad that you lost your grandmother, and I’m sad that we had to meet like this...” She smiled nonetheless. “But you know what? Maybe it’s for the best that we did meet like this. We’ve helped each other get through the worst situations imaginable. I can almost be certain that that’s what your grandmother would have wanted: for us to be friends, even during the worst of times.” She ruffled Nancy’s hair and bit her lip to keep herself from crying any further in front of the young girl. “And really, isn’t that what matters the most?”

“Maya!” Nancy squealed amusingly while swatting the young woman’s hand away. “Stop it!”

* * *

The Murrays had to go back home to Dublin a few days later, but that didn’t stop them or Maya from making long-distance phone calls whenever they could. As brief of a stay as it was for the Murrays, Maya was just grateful that it was a good stay. After visiting Sorcha's freshly-made grave, she went back home to her studio apartment. Finally, she was now alone with her thoughts... not for long, though. The phone began to ring. She went to pick it up and was pleasantly surprised to hear her mother's voice.

"Hello, starlight," she could hear her mother greet her. "How have you been?"

Maya looked down at the ground for a minute. "I've been better, but I've also been worse. I'm finally starting to accept that Sorcha's gone forever. I think I needed that past week to help me realize just how fragile life really is, you know?"

"Of course, dear. It's not easy losing someone close to you, and honestly, I don't think it will ever not get hard to move on. That's just a part of life. Life will always be hard. It's how we deal with it that matters."

"Absolutely. Thanks for calling, Mom. I needed this."

"You're welcome. Alright, starlight, goodnight. I hope you're sleeping well."

"You too." 

With that, Maya hung up. If there was ever going to be any more tragedy for it, she wanted to face it head-on. Hopefully, there wouldn't be another tragedy for a long time to come... she could only hope, anyway.


End file.
